Foldable stadium chair



Dec. 4, 1962 F. H. CLUTE FOLDABLE STADIUM CHAIR Filed July 31, 1961 3,066,980 FOLDABLE STADIUM CHAIR Francis H. Clute, Rocky Ford, Colo. Filed July 31, 1961, Ser. No. 127,963 2 (Ilairns. (Cl. 297-252) This invention relates to a foldable chair, and more specifically to a chair particularly adapted for use with stadium bleachers.

It is the most important object of this invention to provide a chair having frame portions which are disposed in stacked relationship when folded, thereby allowing uniform stacking of the chairs.

Another equally important object of my invention is the provision of novel locking means for stabilizing the back frame when the chair is unfolded for use.

A further object of this invention is to provide a chair of relatively simple construction, yet having extremely great strength.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of novel hook means which may be adjustably positioned for attaching the chair to a bleacher, and may be swung out of the way when the chair is folded.

Yet another object of my instant invention is the provision of means for clamping the chair to a bleacher to prevent tipping of the chair in any direction.

A still further object of this present invention is to provide a stadium chair with a canopy to permit use of the chair in foul, as well as good, weather.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a stadium chair made pursuant to the principles of this invention, showing the chair in its open position and in place on a bleacher;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the chair of FIG. 1 showing the canopy folded with the open position of the canopy appearing fragmentarily in dash lines;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a chair in its folded position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view of the hinge means and lock, with parts broken away and shown in cross section to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view of the lock means mounted on the frame showing the spring latch, with parts of the lock and the frame appearing in cross section to reveal details of construction.

Briefly, this invention relates to a stadium chair having a back frame interconnected to a seat frame for swinging movement with respect to the latter. The ends of the leg portions of the back member abut the ends of respective portions of the seat frame after swinging a predetermined arc to stabilize the back frame when the chair is open. The hinges interconnecting the back and seat frames are disposed to permit the back frame to be folded to overlie the seat frame in substantially parallel relationship to the latter. The chair is provided with a cushion and backrest and has a folded canopy carried in a pocket in the backrest. The canopy is secured to the chair and may be extended to provide protection to the chair and the user when desired.

Novel hook means may be adjustably positioned on the leg portions of the seat frame for engaging stadium bleachers of varying widths, and have cylindrical mounting elements permitting the hooks to be folded out of the way when the chair is not in use. Similarly, lock means for clamping the back frame to a bleacher may be folded away after use.

A folding stadium chair, broadly designated 10, includes a generally U-shaped, tubular seat frame 12 of transversely circular configuration and including a pair 3,066,980 Patented Dec. 4, 1962 "ice of leg portions 14. A similar back frame 16, having leg portions 18 of transversely circular, tubular construction, is swingably coupled with seat frame 12 by hinge means 20.

Hinge 20 pivotally couples each leg 18 with a respec tive leg 14 and comprises an upstanding, plate-like member 22 rigidly secured to a respective leg portion 18 overlapping a similar plate-like member 24 which is rigidly secured to respective leg portions 14. The plate-like members 22 and 24 are pivotally connected adjacent overlapping ends thereof with a hinge pin 26. It will be noted particularly in FIG. 4, that pin 26 is spaced outwardly from portions 18 and 14 to allow back frame 16 to be folded forwardly along seat frame 12, with leg portions 18 overlying respective leg portions 14 in substantial parallel engagement with the latter as shown in FIG. 3.

The members 22 and 24 are secured to respective portions 18 and 14, respectively, in spaced relationship from the ends of the latter, whereby the ends of leg portions 18 abut corresponding ends of respective leg portions 14 when back frame 16 is in its open position. The ends of portions 14 may be notched as appears in FIG. 3 for receiving the arcuate outer surface of the portions 18. Hinges 20 insure that the ends of the respective portions 18 and 14 will intersect when the chair is opened.

Each leg portion 14 of seat frame 12 is provided with hook means 28 comprising a cylindrical sleeve 30, and a forwardly extending hook 32 of suitable configuration to engage the forward edge of a bleacher 34 or the like. Sleeves 30 are slidably mounted on respective leg portions 14 and may be shifted toward and away from hinge means 211. Releasable means such as a retaining pin 36 or the like, is disposed through sleeve 30 to engage in one of a series of spaced holes 38 in leg portions 14 to relea ably secure hook means 28 at a predetermined position.

Each leg portion 18 of back frame 16 is provided with lock means 40 comprising a cylindrical element 42, and an L-shaped member 44 extending downwardly in alignment with leg portions 18 with short leg 44a of member 44, disposed to engage the lower margin of the rear edge of bleacher seat 34. A spring catch 46, best shown in FIG. 6 and including a pin 48 secured to catch 46, is rigidly secured to member 44 adjacent one end of the latter and in position to bias pin 48 through an aperture in element 42, and an aligned aperture in a respective leg portion 18. Manifestly, the apertures in elements 42 and portions 18 will be appropriately positioned so that the short legs 44:: of members 44, may be secured into position engaging bleacher seat 34 by pin 48 extending through the aligned apertures. The bias of spring catch 46 releasably maintains pin 48 into its engaged position.

The seat frame 12 is provided with a cushion 50 which may contain a filler of sponge rubber or the like, and back frame 16 supports a backrest 52 spanning the distance between leg portions 18. As appears in FIG. 2, a pocket 54 is provided on the rear face of backrest 52 and contains a folded canopy 56 which may be of waterrepellant material such as plastic or the like. Canopy 56 is fastened to backrest 52 by a fastener 58 such as a rivet, stitching or the like. Canopy 56 may be unfolded from the folded position appearing in FIG. 2 into its expanded position illustrated schematically in dash lines in FIG. 2 whenever it is desired to have a canopy for use with chair 10.

In operation, seat 16 may be unfolded to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Hook means 28 is releasably secured into an appropriate position in order to properly dispose cushion 50 in overlying engagement with a stadium bleacher or the like, and the position of hinge means 28 will be necessarily determined by the width of the stadium bleacher.

If desired, members 44 of lock means 41), may be rotated upon leg portions 18 to engage the members 44 with the bleacher, as is shown in FIG. 2. The apertures in elements 42 and leg portions 18 are then in alignment to permit pin 48 to be inserted therethrough under the bias of the catch 46, thereby holding the members 44 in their bleacher-engaging positions. When it is desired to remove chair from the bleacher, it is but necessary to withdraw pin 48 by overcoming the bias of catch 46 and rotate the respective members 44 to disengage the latter from the bleacher. Back frame 16 may then be folded forwardly to the position shown in FIG. 3, and hook means 28 may be disengaged from the bleacher. The hooks 32 may then be folded to lie substantially in the plane of seat frame 12 by removing retaining pin 36 and rotating sleeves 30 on leg portions 14.

When it is desired to use chair 10 during foul weather, canopy 56 may be withdrawn from pocket 54 and will then be in position to be disposed over both chair 10 and the user thereof to protect the latter from the elements.

It will be understood that it is not necessary to utilize the lock means 40 in order to enjoy the advantages of the construction of chair 10. On the contrary, lock means 40 may be omitted if desired, and hook means 28, being adjustable to dispose the latter in position for securely engaging a bleacher, will then add stability to chair 10 for most purposes.

Although chair 10 has been described for use with a stadium bleacher, there is no intention to limit its utility for such purposes. On the other hand, seat 10 may be employed with any suitably constructed seating platform such as a boat seat or the like.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a folding chair for a stadium bleacher, the combination of a seat frame; a back frame; hinge means swingably coupling the back frame to said seat frame, the back and seat frames including tubular, transversely circular leg portions disposed in abutting, intersecting relationship when the back frame is in open disposition relative to the seat frame, and in parallel relationship when the back frame is folded over the seat frame, said hinge means including a pair of overlapped, plate-like members secured to and extending outwardly from leg portions of the back frame and the seat frame respectively, and hinge pin means swingably interconnecting corresponding plate-like members in spaced relationship to adjacent leg portions whereby the leg portions of the back frame substantially complementally engage the leg portions of the seat frame when the back frame is folded flatly against the seat frame; hook means including a cylindrical sleeve shiftably mounted on each of said leg portions of the seat frame for movement toward and away from said hinge means, said hook means being configured to releasably engage the forward edge of said bleacher; means for releasably securing the hook means to said leg portions of the seat frame at any one of a number of preselected positions; and lock means shiftably mounted on said back frame and including an L-shaped member rigidly secured to a cylindrical element, there being an element slidably mounted on each leg portion of the back frame for movement toward and away from said hinge means, said L-shaped member being configured to engage the rearward edge of the bleacher, and means releasably securing the lock means to the leg portions of the back frame at a preselected position whereby the sleeves and elements may be selectively rotated on respective leg portions to permit folding of said hook means and said L-shaped members substantialiy in the planes of said seat frame and said back frame respectively.

2. A folding chair as set forth in claim 1, wherein the ends of the leg portions of the seat frame are notched to complementally receive the arcuate outer surface of the proximal leg portions of said back frame when the latter is in said open disposition.

References fitted in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 2,092,666 Dietrich Sept. 7, 1937 2,147,100 Krause Feb. 14, 1939 2,167,982 Kerber Aug. 1, 1939 2,571,282 Newton Oct. 16, 1951 2,707,988 Shaub May 10, 1955 2,864,429 Combs Dec. 16, 1958 2,957,515 Gibson Oct. 25, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,780 Great Britain 1902 656,997 Germany Feb. 19, 1938 

